


This Little Light of Mine

by galwednesday



Series: Tumblr ficlets 2018 [11]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes: communal reading lamp every time the power goes out, Cave-In, Crack, Humor, M/M, Steve Rogers: secretly your grandma, Together They Fight Crime, jellyfish DNA, look you can't tell me Hydra hasn't done weirder shit, this is VERY silly guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 10:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15727518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galwednesday/pseuds/galwednesday
Summary: “What,” Tony said. “The fuck. Is your face doing?”Bucky gave Tony’s chest a glance that was somehow both dismissive and pointed. “Like you’re one to talk.”“Hey, these are not equivalent situations, here, everyone knows the deal with the arc reactor. What I want to know is whyyou,” Tony said, stabbing a finger at Bucky’s uncovered face, “are fuckingglowing.”





	This Little Light of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from magdaliny: “apropos of NOTHING but I now need a crack fic where HYDRA gives bucky jellyfish dna along with the superserum”
> 
> Contains brief, non-graphic mention of injuries, but everyone will be fine, I promise.

“What,” Tony said. “The fuck. Is your face doing?”

Bucky gave Tony’s chest a glance that was somehow both dismissive and pointed. “Like you’re one to talk.”

“Hey, these are not equivalent situations, here, everyone knows the deal with the arc reactor. What I want to know is why _you_ ,” Tony said, stabbing a finger at Bucky’s uncovered face, “are fucking _glowing_.”

“Jellyfish DNA.”

Tony blinked slowly. “Jellyfish DNA.”

“I don’t see what you’re complaining about,” Steve said, examining the cave walls for the third time, feeling along every crack for a draft that could indicate a potential exit. The tunnel collapse had trapped them in a pocket big enough that suffocation wouldn’t be a real concern for several more hours, but Tony was actively bleeding from a head wound and Bucky was leaning against the wall like at least one leg was broken. “Two sources of light are better than one.”

“ _Jellyfish_ DNA,” Tony repeated, as though the words might change if he said them enough times.

Bucky shrugged. “Hydra scientists liked to fuck around.”

“I’ve _seen_ you on night missions and you weren’t pulling a Marie Curie then, how is this only coming up now?”

“Only starts if I’m in darkness for half an hour or more.”

“So your _glowing skin_ is on a _timer_? How does that even _work_?”

“They didn’t _explain_ it, Stark. You wanna find out, sequence the DNA yourself.”

“I would, if your default response to DNA collection procedures weren’t stab first and ask questions never.”

“Sounds like quitter talk to me,” Steve said mildly. Was that a tiny waft of air over his left thumb? He licked his finger and held his hand up to the same place. Definitely movement.

“ _Quitter talk?_ Just because _you_ don’t mind getting perforated on a regular basis doesn’t mean all of us think stab wounds are a basic fact of life, Captain Colander.”

“Whatever you say, Tony. Can you blast this rock apart? I think there’s a passage on the other side.”

“Hey,” Tony said, staggering towards Steve, “doesn’t this keep you up at night? Sergeant Nightlight over there is pretty bright.”

“I have a sleep mask.”

“It has daisies printed on it.” Bucky was a little less upright than the last time Steve had checked on him, but he’d opened his eyes to watch Tony take aim at the cave wall.

“What, not jellyfish?” Tony’s repulsors whined and discharged in a flash of light that was sickeningly bright after the gloom. The dust swirling through the cavern blotted out Bucky’s skin and Tony’s arc reactor for a few moments where all three of them coughed, then cleared enough to reveal a pale wash of light coming from the new exit.

“Don’t think this is over,” Tony said, pointing two feet to the left of where Bucky was standing. Steve made a mental note to do a concussion check as soon as they got the bleeding under control. “This isn’t over. Your jellyfish secret is _out_.”

“Oh no,” Bucky deadpanned. “What will I do if you find out about the ectoplasm?”

Tony squinted at him for long moments. “You’re fucking with me.”

“Am I?”

“Ecto--no. Where would you even _produce_ it? From what _possible_ orifice?”

“Well,” Bucky said, before Steve swooped down to hoist him into a bridal carry.

“Out,” Steve said firmly. “Iron Man, you take point.”

“Whatever you say, Mr. Shape of Water," Tony said, and led them out of the cave.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [night light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15745884) by [quietnight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietnight/pseuds/quietnight)




End file.
